Administrative Core: Summary The strong nutrition, obesity and metabolism research base at UCSF is composed of 58 investigators from 22 departments or organized research units and four schools across 7 UCSF Campuses, as well as UC Berkeley. The primary purpose of the UCSF NORC Administrative Core is to ensure that all components of the UCSF- NORC are working in unison in order to maximally benefit this critical set of investigators. This is achieved by an administrative infrastructure that provides mechanisms to ensure the integration of cross-departmental, multidisciplinary research programs and shared research facilities, cohesion in educational/seminar programs, and the coordinated facilitation of support for pilot research in emerging obesity and nutrition research areas. The Administrative Core provides leadership, infrastructure, administrative support, advice and oversight to all UCSF-NORC operations and to the members of the UCSF-NORC community. The Administrative Core supplies the central support for day-to-day operation and continuously develops the NORC's long-term visions and strategies. It also provides the interface to obesity and nutrition researchers from institutions across Northern California, to other NIH NORCs, to the NIDDK, and to the lay community. An efficiently operating Administrative Core facilitates the goal of understanding, and developing new methods to treat, prevent and ultimately cure, the underlying causes and complications of health concerns related to nutrition, obesity and metabolism. To achieve those aims, the UCSF NORC Administrative Core will continue to: Facilitate and monitor progress within, and among, the NORC research thematic areas. Provide oversight of UCSF-NORC shared resources of special need for nutrition, obesity and metabolism studies to enhance the efficiency of human and basic research within the NORC. Support a Pilot & Feasibility Program to cultivate the development of new sustainable, research programs centered on obesity, nutritional and metabolism themes. Support an Enrichment Program that both provides research information and fosters collaborations within and among obesity- and nutrition-related research disciplines. Provide the organizational structure for effective mentoring of NORC investigators. Through its programs and services, the Administrative Core will thus bring together a community of investigators from interrelated disciplines to enhance and extend the effectiveness of nutrition, obesity and metabolism research at UCSF and beyond.!